2009 was a big year for Real Madrid. The Spanish giants made big moves in the transfer market, signing top stars like Cristiano Ronaldo, Kaka, Karim Benzema, and Xabi Alonso. They even brought in Manuel Pellegrini as their coach but still lost the league title to FC Barcelona. And for Pellegrini, this is the biggest title miss.

The 2009-10 La Liga season concluded with FC Barcelona finishing on top of the table with 99 points. Real Madrid, on the other hand, had to settle for second place with an impressive 96 points. Also, this proved to be Pellegrini’s final season as club coach.

Manuel Pellegrini looks back at the 2009-10 La Liga loss

Manuel Pellegrini sat down in an interview with Diario AS. When asked if he missed a title that might have escaped him, the 70-year-old coach didn’t hesitate to mention the 2009-10 La Liga season. “The title I did miss was the league title with Real Madrid,” said the Chilean manager.

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He added, “Cristiano Ronaldo was injured for three months, and Barcelona beat us 1-0 with a great goal in the 81st minute, a left-footed shot into the corner.” During the season, Cristiano Ronaldo underwent surgery on his ankle, resulting in a three-month absence. Also, in the match he mentioned, it was Zlatan Ibrahimovic, who scored the decisive goal.

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If not for this, Pellegrini firmly believes they “would have been champions.” The ex-Manchester City coach then described the team’s efforts during that season, highlighting the challenges. The Real Betis coach revealed, “The team had overcome many things. It was an unbalanced squad. And it was the best Barcelona in history. It hurt me a lot not to win that title.”

The loss is clearly a painful memory for Manuel Pellegrini. The defeat also signified the end of his partnership with Cristiano Ronaldo. However, fans did see a glimmer of hope for a reunion of this duo in May this year.

Cristiano Ronaldo was close to reuniting with Pellegrini at Al Nassr

Al Nassr had already made waves after signing CR7. After the superstar’s first season with the Saudi club, Al Nassr remained determined to find a new manager to lead their team. Among the candidates that caught their attention was Manuel Pellegrini, who was reportedly in negotiations with the Saudi club to become the next big signing after Ronaldo.

However, the deal didn’t end up happening, as he still had two years left in his contract with Real Betis. In the end, Al Nassr chose Portuguese manager Luis Castro as their new coach, and the reunion between Pellegrini and Ronaldo did not materialize.

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